Reasoning your way to faith: Are all religious values, traditions equal to you?

From the dawn of religious studies and the purported death of God, the surety and exclusivity of religious theologies have been questioned and challenged.

An equality of religious perspectives and viewpoints seem inevitable, even spiritually desirable. Through comparative religious studies we can appreciate the strengths and eccentricities of each religion, every denomination and achieve some rational distance for any one religion’s more bewildering and maddening modern shortcomings.

You can acclaim one religion for its meditation techniques and compassion, yet wonder if it leads to passivity. You can delight in the nurturing family life another religion encourages, while worrying about its warrior evangelizing. You can appreciate the charity one religion spreads throughout its institutions, and deplore its inbred misogyny. And you can apply the same paradoxical response to more than one religion or denomination — Evangelical, Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox Christians; Sunni or Shiite Muslims; Orthodox Conservative or Reform Jews; Theravada, Mahayana or Tibetan Buddhists; Hindus’ Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Smartism or Shaktism. Most of these have offshoots, radical groups, traditionalists, heretics and fallen-away changelings. Religion is not just a cafeteria, it’s a bizarre bazaar, a supermarket!

Yet I rise to sing its praise. For all the rational value of humanism, or the rejection of religion in atheism, they feel like zero-sum enterprises. Western moderns make our way using our minds and trusting in science for what we know. Those of us raised in religion, or who have chosen to live within one, do find value in them. We can be clear-eyed about this choice; we could have rejected each by turn and stand at a distance from them all. My appreciation for various religions or elements of these religions doesn’t mean the religion I choose to live can’t be critiqued by others, or even by me. It simply means I want to be passionately committed to some religion.

I think this is especially important for young people and young families. You are smart, educated and there’s certainly enough to be cynical about in religious circles. But I urge you also to be open to a call from God, tradition, or choice to live within a religion’s value system — testing it, trying it, living and worshiping within it. Otherwise you could be stuck in noncommittal neutrality, which may be the opposite of a belief you could choose.

Belief does not require blind obedience, far from it — conscience and human consciousness play a crucial role, and within religion will invite considerable commitment. I think it’s better to be committed to something, to try something, to live in a committed, particular way that uses mind and heart, reason and passion — not giving up humanity and compassion, nor giving in to irrational “dogmas” or despair.

That’s why I’m pretty clear that I’m an Irish Catholic worshiping within an Episcopalian community, and that I appreciate certain Quaker, Jewish and Buddhist beliefs. There’s about four of us. I’m kidding about that last part. For some of us, we do need and want a religious or spiritual home, while appreciating all, critiquing all, including our own. We will live in it, thrive, fail and sin there, and die within beloved arms, having lived with hope, compassion and love.

well what difference does any religion make, since none of it is true to G-D still here in TheTorah. in this world that does not even know, what happens next after G-D has Adam put to death. here with the near end, of this sixth day again still in TheTorah. with the whole world, still writing their own histories against G-D here in TheTorah.

Where is your moral compass pointing? What are your social values? Hark will explore faith, morals, ethics and character at the intersection of religion ethics, culture, politics, media, science, education, economics and philosophy. At times this blog will alert readers to breaking news and trends. At times it will attempt to look more deeply into intriguing subjects. Hark means to listen attentively, and we will, as readers talk back to the news.